News from the Heights

"The Last Shall Be First: Rebuilding Neighborhoods," a talk by Dominic Robinson

On Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., Le Moyne College will host "The Last Shall Be First: Rebuilding Neighborhoods," a talk by Dominic Robinson, director of the Northside Urban Partnership and deputy director of Urban Initiatives at CenterState CEO in Syracuse, N.Y. The talk will take place in Grewen Auditorium on the Le Moyne campus.

For the better part of 150 years, the North Side of Syracuse has welcomed immigrants, refugees and diverse populations to its neighborhoods. Once a thriving working class community, the North Side today faces challenges related to domestic poverty, immigration, vacancy and blight. But a new and powerful community revitalization effort is underway on the North Side, one that aligns a multi-cultural and diverse group of community residents, businesses and institutions to generate economic growth and foster opportunities for all its residents.

The Northside Urban Partnership is an urban revitalization collaborative dedicated to engaging diverse groups of people and organizations in turning the Northside of Syracuse "right-side up." Robinson, a Kauffman Entrepreneurship grant winner, is the founder of the organization. By convening citizens, organizations, businesses and institutions to identify common interests and work towards tangible outcomes, they work to foster neighborhood revitalization through the creation of financial, artistic and civic opportunities for members of the community.

Northside UP is collaboratively sponsored by CenterState CEO, Catholic Charities of Onondaga County, Franciscan Collaborative Ministries, The Greater North Salina Business Association and St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center. Each of these organizations has unique strengths, identities, and influences, which Northside UP leverages to take an integrated, comprehensive approach to neighborhood revitalization.

ThinkProgress.org includes Le Moyne as one of 11 institutions across the country that "...are taking concrete steps to amend their policies, expand their training programs, and let new students know they want to improve" as it relates to sexual assaults.